According to its findings, a renter in lower Fairfield County must earn $34.62 an hour to pay for a modest two-bedroom apartment, without spending more than 30 percent of total household income on housing costs. Defined as the "housing wage," the figure surpasses those of cities such as San Francisco, Honolulu, New York and Boston.

In terms of income, a family in the area must earn $72,000 a year to afford a typical two-bedroom apartment.

This is not the first year that the area has been ranked No. 1 in unaffordability.

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"For as long as I can remember, you have the dubious honor of being the top in the country," said Jeffrey Freiser, executive director of the Connecticut Housing Coalition.

Stamford, followed by Norwalk, has been a leader in promoting affordable housing.

Since 1998, almost 300 affordable housing units have been built in Stamford, according to a report from the city's land-use department. Of that number, 179 are rental dwellings.

In 2003, the city implemented an inclusionary zoning regulation mandating that developers in most zones make at least 10 percent of their units affordable to those earning less than 50 percent of the area median income, which is $61,150 for a family of four.

Last month, the city's Zoning Board passed an amendment to refine that policy by allowing developers to expand the affordability range to include families earning from 25 percent to 80 percent of the area median income.

While Freiser acknowledged the "real contributions" made by Stamford and Norwalk, he said the problem in the region was so severe that "adding several hundred units of affordable housing a year isn't going to significantly affect the averages."

The state, he said, can play a vital role in the effort by providing below-market-rate financing for the construction of affordable housing, as well as direct assistance to families.

"Unfortunately, Connecticut has been retreating from its housing responsibilities," he said.

Joseph McGee, vice president of the Business Council of Fairfield County, said affordable housing is a crucial issue that any candidate running for governor will need to address.

"The fact is, this state needs an economic growth strategy," McGee said. "A critical part of that is building housing for young people who want to live here and building more affordable rental housing."

He added, "Companies need a labor force that has a range of income levels."

The business council recommended the state tap into its public pension.

"That would unlock a great deal of new capital that would go toward rebuilding middle-class housing in this state," McGee said.

Joan Carty, president of Stamford's Housing Development Fund, said the budget crisis, along with the economic situation, demands more attention be paid to spiraling foreclosures and home vacancies.

"That should be the center of our focus," she said. "Not forever, but just for the market we're in right now."

In addition to financing the construction of affordable housing and providing homebuyer assistance for low and moderate-income families, the Housing Development Fund runs a foreclosure intervention program.

Last year, the federal government attempted to address the foreclosure crisis and the need for affordable housing with a program that established grants to states and municipalities for buying foreclosed homes and rehabilitating and reselling them as affordable housing.

Run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program awarded Connecticut $25 million, of which Stamford received $2.9 million.

"This is a problem that needs a solution from all the players," Carty said.

One local impediment to affordable housing has been what Freiser called "the not-in-my-backyard syndrome."

"Many people think of affordable housing as the worst problems of public housing built generations ago," he said "Today's affordable housing is small scale, high quality, well managed and fits comfortably into the surrounding neighborhoods."

He added, "In truth, there is a quiet success story of affordable housing, but it goes unnoticed precisely because it fits into the local neighborhood."

While the report is a sobering look at the region's cost of housing, there is a flip side, according to Robin Stein, the city's Land Use Bureau chief.

"It does show that the Stamford-Norwalk area is a very desirable area to live," Stein said. "People are willing to pay these rents."

Part of the attraction stems from Stamford's employment opportunities and an urban core that has housing and retail, along with easy access to public transit.

"Yes, this is a very vibrant place to live," McGee said.

Nonetheless, cities and towns cannot skirt the problem of affordability, he said.

"This has been an issue for 25 years now," he said. "It's getting to the point where we have to deal with it. It's an enormously positive opportunity to rebuild our cities."

Staff writer Elizabeth Kim can be reached at elizabeth.kim@scni.com or 203-964-2265.